Interactions
by wolf guardian of light
Summary: A sort-of-sequel to "Guardian Unleashed" which is due a re-write. Ever wondered what the team thought of Ghost once he joined up? First Chapter - Rev.
1. Rev

_Midnight Musings_

_[Slight blood/gore warning]_

They had let a monster into their home.

Fact, not insult. A fact _he_ was indifferent about admiting.

Rev shifted his weight on the mattress a little, watching the light shower tip-tap aganst his bedroom window. Idylly, he let his mind wander, picking up the presense of the rest of his team, safe and sound in their rooms. Or room, in Ace and Lexi's case. Having a permament GPS lodged in his brain made for some embarrassing knowledge, but it was just like any other sense. Lexi couldn't turn off her ears, only muffle what she could hear. Rev's ability was more or less the same. Giving a soft sigh as he twiddled his thumbs, he glanced over at the clock hanging from the wall. At two in the morning, he should be arriving within his personal range about... Now.

If there was one thing their new teammember was, it was punctual. He was currently outside the ground floor window. The security camera down there rotated and swept it's gaze over the make-shift entrance once every five seconds. He had unlatched the lock from within and was inside the tower within three. From there, it was a simple stroll uptowards the main living quarters.

Rev wondered if he remembered to wash his face and paws before coming back this time.

He remembered when he first approached him about his midnight wanders when everyone else was asleep. It wasn't every night. Sometimes a whole week would go by without him sneaking out. But the nights when he did usually followed a particular pattern. During the day he'd be agitated, even down right aggressive. His fights against any possible villan were rougher, more wild and careless, more often than not resorting to fists and feet. That night, he would go to his room at 10. Wait until everyone was asleep at 12 (Rev had learned that switching between seconds-long power naps and seconds of wakefullness was enough to fool him), creep out of the tower by means of the ventilation ducts and avoiding the need to log his passing into the security system. From there, it usually took him about two hours to return to the tower. The next day he'd be his cheerful, helpful, calm self.

Curiosity was always his biggest weak spot. He had to find out what he was doing to cause such a change in him.

Rev "watched" as Ghost made his way up the tower, avoiding cameras, sensors and any other little tricks Tech could come up with to spot intruders. Either the coyote needed to be more sneaky about where he placed the security devices, or he needed to work on his mental walls a bit more. Regardless, he sat in the main living room, legs crossed on the table as he tapped his finger restlessly. Waiting was certainly not his favourite activity.

When the wolf accessed the door panel, the last thing he was expecting was a bright blue avian to skid to a halt in front of him, demanding where he had been. However, he _was_ expecting the look of sheer horror on Rev's face once his brain processed, refused, then stubbornly admited what his eyes were seeing.  
Blood coated the wolf's muzzle and paws, his claws especially slick with the crimson ichor. Flecks of meat were stuck beneath them, and some fur that was not his own were dotted over his chest and forearms.  
There wasn't much he could do regarding damage control. He wasn't all that confident with his new abilities to try wiping a memory from someone, and he doubted that he would even be able to, considering how fast the roadrunner's brain ran. He stepped around Rev, who recoiled as though he was trying to strike him, grabbing a tea towel and soaking it beneath the tap, dabbing against his fur.

He never really was one for silence. Anyone on the team could attest to that. But what would you, could you say to someone who came into your home, and the home of your friends and loved ones, looking like he had slaughtered a small family?  
"I'm not ashamed of it, if that's what you're thinking"  
Rev's gaze was dragged over to the wolf at the kitchen sink, the water turning a deep pink as it swirled round the drain.  
"It's just nature. It isn't always sweet and cuddly. You guys... You don't... Exactly have the same instincts as my kind do"

An understatement if he ever heard one. From what Tech had told him, Ghost's "people" shouldn't exist. Their DNA wasn't anything like their own. Their seamless, sleek, graceful evolution from beasts to intelligent creatures witih opposable thumbs left them capable of overcoming, even ignoring their baser instincts.

Ghost's was a train wreck. Two radically different DNA strands shoved together, linking in ways that nature never intended. Human and Wolf. They had all heard him talking about his "beast", but they all assumed it was just a name given to his different forms. How it needed to be appeased rather than controlled or tamed. That wild edge gave him an advantage in battle, sure, but now Rev could see the cost.

Ghost tossed the pink stained towel into the laundry chute, glancing at Rev at the corner of his eye.  
"It's just nature... I only eat... "wild" meat... No need to go checking for missing person reports."  
He walked past the cobalt bird with his tail held low, pausing at the door, not looking back at him.  
"If you wanna ask me about it... Make sure I'm not gonna... I dunno... Tear out your throat in your sleep... Or something... Tomorrow..."

He tracked down and demanded an explanation from him the next day. True to his word, he explained everything. How everyone of his kind had a beast, from the carnivores to the herbivores. How sometimes they would hunt each other to catch only, just to be rid of that ever present niggle to chase down, bring down, consume prey. How they had a strict code of only hunting non-sentient life.

Rev had just sat and listened in silence, a rarity for him. In the end, he still couldn't accept it. He admited that Ghost may have a need for it... But he still thought of the new teammate as a monster.

As he lay in his bed, the soft murmers of Tech behind him, he felt Ghost's presense pause outside his door on the way to his own room. He stood for about a second before moving on, his mental "bubble" barely licking across Rev's own. A brief moment of pain and hurt and the lonliness of being among a people that wasn't his own that the wolf was unable to reign in bloomed in his mind and faded, the knowledge of being able to pass as a local, but knowing he was vastly different from them hanging around a little longer.

Rev simply turned round, facing Tech and leaving his back to the door as the monster passed by once more in the night.


	2. Lexi

_T.G.I.F._

In the short time she had known him, the best way to describe him would be... Older. He always seemed to be amused by the rest of the team, even going so far to call them "Young" whenever he got frustrated.

She had also learned that he hated the taste of alcohol. One fruity cocktail later cleared that up, but it was a chore and a half to convince him to try it.

The most recent thing she learned was that Ghost was a _total_ lightweight.

"Leeeeeeeexiiiiiii..."

And he was one clingy drunk.

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

The canine dropped into the chair opposite Lexi, huffing loudly as he folded his arms on the table and rested his chin on them, pouting like a child as his half-finished drink floated, not too steadily, beside his head. Occassionally he would look up with a hopefull look on his face before scowling, thumping the side of his head.

"You alright there?" Lexi really didn't want their first proper "Team Outing" ending with having to drag the lightweight home with them. The teen in question merely tilted his head to side and sighed.  
It's broken..."

The more alcohol tolerent teammates exchanged glances, before the men all locked eyes onto Lexi, wordlessly saying "You ask him". Groaning softly to herself about damed men sticking together, she cautiously reached out and patted the wolf on the shoulder.  
"Whats... erm... broken?"

He snapped upright, pointing at a slim ferret passing by and screwed up his eyes, concentrating, his glass wobbling dangerously now. Without taking her gaze off her new teammate, she reached out and clutched the glass in hand, lowering it onto the table, just as he sighed and thudded his head back down.  
"My... Gaydar..."

Hand pausing mid-pat, Lexi slowly blinked before reaching for her own glass. Out of what she had mentally prepared herself for, that was certainly not on the list...  
"I'm going to regret this but... What the heck's a gaydar?"

Thus began Lexi's introduction to... The Fag Hag.

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

"No, no no... Look at him! He'd be totally not right for you..."  
"Lexi, I ain't looking for love, I'm just looking for... Damn, will you look at the-"  
"I know, I see them too..."

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Lexi had to accept that the teen was pretty fun when he let his hair down. The empty glasses of fruity drinks that she wasn't quite sure she could properly pronounce by now were starting to multiply and go forth and with a wave of her hand she ordered another round.

Ace was... Sweet. Kind. Helpful. Sometimes infuriatingly "Protective". Sometimes condecending. And he always borrowed her dress without asking. And sure, the nights were fun too...

But Ghost kind of skirted around those by not being in the least bit attracted to her, besides complimenting on how good she looked before leaving the tower. In a way, it was a bit of a relief knowing that he wasn't trying to get into her pants.

She leaned back along with the wolf, mentally undressing a passing bear with a slight smirk and a knowing nod to her fellow male hunter, surprised at how well she was getting along with him. Okay, sure, he knew nothing about make up and fashion, but he seemed genuinely interested in her thoughts and opinions and even though more than a little drunk, he still had the sense to only share the juicier gossip when no one else was around to hear. And with a telepath, that's a _lot_ of high quality gossip to go through.

She had to accept it. Ghost was like the female teammate she wished she had, only in male form.

She just really wished he'd stop using the term "Fag Hag".

_I honestly think Lexi would make for a perfect fag hag._  
_For those of you who don't know, a "Fag Hag" is a women who enoys the company of gay men, not for romance, but for laughs and good friends. Usually because, well... Let's be fair, have you ever met a gay guy who wasn't a nice guy? I know there's a lesbian version for guys, but I can't remember it right now._

_I could have called her a "Fairy Godmother", which is another, possibly more PC term for it, but personally I think that would be only for woman at least 10-20 years older._

_And before anyone starts, yes, I'm gay, so I'm not really all that bothered by the term "Fag". Please don't bring it up unless you have a suitable replacement name._


End file.
